Schumacher takes over at Barcelona test

Ferrari remained at the top of the Barcelona test times on June 1st as
Michael Schumacher took over from teammate Felipe Massa to post the best of
the day. The German clocked 1:13.469 to top the list of the 17 drivers at
work and worked on tyres...

Ferrari remained at the top of the Barcelona test times on June 1st as
Michael Schumacher took over from teammate Felipe Massa to post the best of
the day. The German clocked 1:13.469 to top the list of the 17 drivers at
work and worked on tyres and new components.

Michael Schumacher.

Photo by xpb.cc.

Team tester Luca Badoer did not have such a good day. The Italian crashed
heavily in the morning, causing considerable damage to the car, although
Badoer was uninjured. He will not be on track on Friday but his
best time of the 28 laps he had completed before the accident today was good
enough for 10th.

Renault test driver Heikki Kovalainen was second, seven tenths off
Schumacher, and Giancarlo Fisichella was fifth. Kovalainen continued with
tyre work for Silverstone while Fisichella focused on brakes and component
testing for the Canadian round of the championship.

"The cars ran reliably, and we collected plenty of useful data for the next
races," said chief test engineer Christian Silk. "Tomorrow, we will be
putting finishing touches to our preparations for the forthcoming race in
Silverstone, where we expect the R26 to maintain its recent competitive
form."

Tester Ricardo Zonta was the lead Toyota in third and Jarno Trulli was
sixth. Zonta was behind the wheel of the TF106 carrying out tyre
preparations for Silverstone while Trulli drove the B version of the chassis
to work on set up and tyres. Trulli finished his day a little early in order
to have the gearbox worked on.

"The major test item for both cars was the tyre compound testing in
preparation for the next race," said test team manager Gerd Pfeiffer. "With
Jarno's car we tried various steering parts and set-ups to give him a better
steering support. Ricardo also worked on such items as brake material
comparisons and launches."

The Williams of Nico Rosberg set the fourth best time and team tester Alex
Wurz was 16th. Rosberg had a busy day with engine software, temperature
mapping, set up and tyres, while Wurz ran an aerodynamic programme. The
Austrian had a shunt near the end of the session and damaged the car but he
was fine and will be back at work tomorrow.

Test driver Pedro de la Rosa was the quicker of the two McLarens present in
seventh and Juan Pablo Montoya was 11th. They continued with suspension and
aerodynamic work, as well as tyres. Montoya was delayed in the morning with
a clutch problem that necessitated a transmission change, but was able to
return to the track afterwards.

BMW Sauber had both its race drivers at work, Jacques Villeneuve eighth
fastest and Nick Heidfeld 13th. Villeneuve concentrated on aerodynamics and
set up in the morning and tyres in the afternoon, while Heidfeld practiced
starts, did a little aero and set up work then also switched to tyre testing
in the afternoon.

Jenson Button was ninth on the time sheet for Honda and teammate Rubens
Barrichello was 12th. Button first carried out tyre option evaluations for
Silverstone then ran through an aerodynamics programme and Barrichello had the
same work schedule, in reverse order. The team test drivers will take over on
Friday.

Christian Klien led the two Red Bull present in 14th and tester Robert
Doornbos was 15th. They racked up over 150 laps between them, while the Red
Bull 'junior' team of Toro Rosso fielded test driver Neel Jani. The Swiss
rounded off the times in 17th.